Windswept – February 2015
Posted on February 1, 2015 by Max Buchholz No comments
Read the full February newsletter
Hello!
Laura Phillips, Interim Ministry Leader
Hello! I am Laura Phillips, Interim Ministry Leader at Spirit of Joy. While in this position, I will be working primarily with our Outreach and Hospitality Teams as well as assisting in worship.
Growing up in Farmington, MN in a country home surrounded by woods and fields, my brother was my main companion, a fort builder extraordinaire, and I might even say my partner in crime! It was in this place that I learned to love the outdoors and birds and critters of all sorts. My brother still lives in that town in that same house we grew up in. The land- scape has changed, my parents have passed, and the grandparents that were there as well, but it is still holds a special place in my heart.
I moved to Sioux Falls in 1993 and have worked as a teacher, a stay at home mom, a volunteer, and as an office manager in a national ministry. Throughout these years I found myself continually drawn to God’s Word and God’s people and curious about what God was up to not only in my life, but also in the lives of the people around me. I love hearing people’s stories! In the fall of 2012 with the encouragement of my family and friends, I left my job and dipped my toe in the world of seminary. It felt like home. Now I am about a quarter of the way complete in a Masters of Divinity and have applied for candidacy with the ELCA, which means that a team of well trained, godly men and women will walk through a discernment process with me, to find the place which God is calling me to.
My husband Fran and I have been married since 2008. We are a “blended family”, and have said that we had 34 years of combined marital experience when we got married so this would be a piece of cake! Ha! It’s a wonderful adventure is what it is, and I am so grateful that God brought this man into my life. Fran is the father of three children-two amazing adults and one awesome, tennis playing, funny teenage boy, who all call the state of Washington home. I have one smart and creative 18 year old daughter, Abbi, who is a senior this year at Lincoln High School, and is looking forward to attending the University of Minnesota next fall.
Our family became partners of Spirit of Joy in January of 2009, and we think it is a great place to be! Thank you for the opportunity to serve you! LJP